Thursday, June 2, 2016

Millennial Moms: Attracting them to your Dairy Beverage

Millennials are starting to have families. Although the millennial mom grew up drinking fanciful, made-to-order Starbucks beverages alongside her boomer mom, who also let her have a soda with her Happy Meal and a juice box at the mall, the millennial mom would never fathom allowing her youngster to have a nutrient-void, calorie- or sugar-laden beverage…or at least not in public. After all, food and beverage is a form of self-expression for millennials.

That’s why millennials love dairy. They know: milk does a body good! They embrace the nutrition, along with the efforts to make milk beverages simpler, cleaner and more power packed.

To read an article about reducing added sugar in beverages, including flavored milk and drinkable yogurt, link HERE to an article I recently wrote on the topic for Food Business News. It provides a detailed explanation on the sweeteners that won’t count as added sugar on the new Nutrition Facts label, as well as how fruit juice can be used as a natural sweetener, color and flavor in dairy beverages.

Dairy foods marketers must reach out to millennial moms, who are quickly growing in population size and in spending power. Research shows that millennial moms are willing to spend where they need and want to, with food for their youngsters a priority.

According to research presented by Madlyn Daley, senior vice president of strategic insights and evaluation at Dairy Management Inc., millennials are health-conscious and aware of what they are putting into their bodies, and the bodies of their babies. They want simple, clean and local, and dairy resonates with them. Daley spoke to dairy processors and marketers at Midwest Dairy Association’s Chicago installment of “Tomorrow’s Dairy Consumer,” which took place in early May.

“Millennials like that milk is nutritious and delicious,” she said. “Milk is associated with being a good parent and traditional family values. Many millennials drink milk to set a good example with their kids.”

As one millennial mom recently said to me, “I look like a good mom when my child is drinking milk.”

Moms appreciate the calcium and vitamin D, as well as all the other nutrients milk contains, inherently or through fortification. Protein especially resonates with them. Managing weight is a key function of protein, and moms think protein is a way to prevent childhood obesity. (But don’t call it out as a weight management or diet product. This might suggest “diet food,” fake, phony, made in a laboratory.)

Just focus on the protein content. Emphasizing the high-quality (contains all essential amino acids in the proportion the body prefers) nature of milk protein makes sense.

Vaalia Kids Yoghurt comes in 140-gram refrigerated pouches and is “packed with goodness.” Besides being loaded with protein (7 grams) for growing bodies and calcium for strong bones and teeth, the product contains no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners and is source of probiotic bacteria “for happy tummies and immunity.” It’s also in a convenient, spill-free, grab-and-go pouch package. Flavors are: Banana, Strawberry, Tropical and Vanilla. This product speaks to the millennial mom. For more information, link HERE.

Source: Dairy Management Inc.

“Protein may have caught Americans’ attention overall, but millennials are more likely to seek out the benefits of protein,” said Daley. (see graph)

Millennial moms need their protein fix, too, especially during rushed mornings. Moma Yog-Oat Smoothies are perfect for dashboard dining as well as midday snacking. Packed with smooth oats, low fat yogurt and real fruit, Yog-Oat Smoothies are high in protein, a source of fiber and have no added sugar.

The 250-milliliter single-serve bottles come in two varieties: Mango & Peach and Strawberry & Banana. Each pack delivers 170 calories, 8.5 grams of protein and 2.6 grams of fiber. They are approximately 85% yogurt, 10% fruit and 5% oats, along with oat fiber and milk protein. For more information, link HERE.

Here are some interesting facts that have influenced millennials’ attitudes and behaviors. For starters, they are the first generation to leave the hospital in an approved car seat and remain buckled in. (Gen Xers and boomers rolled around on the car floor as tots and still occasionally forget the seat belt.) Photo source: Bankrate.com

They were the first generation to not have to experience second-hand smoke when attending a 21-or older social establishment. (Remember how bad clothes, hair and coats stunk after a night on the town?) Active wear is considered appropriate casual Friday attire for millennials. (I thought flip flops were for the beach?) They are a health- and wellness-seeking consumer segment who wants to be safe and comfortable.

As one millennial mom website explains: We’re fully informed on health and wellness, and with this information many families have adopted healthier lifestyles. A defining characteristic of millennial moms is a commitment to buying healthy foods and products for kids.

This presents an incredible opportunity for the drinkable yogurt and nutrient-enhanced milk beverage business. As one millennial mom told me at the recent restaurant show, she gives her picky preschooler a single-serve chocolate fairlife milk to drink on the ride to school every morning. “It’s a milk meal replacement that I feel good about serving my son, compared to some of those other nutrition shakes in the market,” she said.

Interestingly, new research from Mintel reveals that 39% of consumers use nutritional and performance drinks as a replacement for breakfast. What’s more, three in five (58%) consumers currently use nutritional and performance drinks as a meal replacement and 48% consume them as part of a meal, up from just 20% who used nutritional drinks as a meal supplement in 2012.

In addition to seven in 10 (69%) consumers agreeing that nutritional and performance drinks are a more effective source of nutrients, the majority of consumers agree that they are more convenient (79%) than whole foods. These drinks are also carving out their share of the snacking category, with 80% of consumers viewing them as a great guilt-free snack.